Larry+Holmes Entries

Entries tagged with "Larry+Holmes":

Larry Holmes vs. Michael Spinks – September 20th, 2016
On September 21, 1985 at the Riviera Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, Larry Holmes, aka the Easton Assassin, defended his IBF heavyweight title against light heavyweight champion Michael Spinks. It was the 27-0 Spinks' first fight at heavyweight. Holmes was 48-0 and on the cusp of tying Rocky Marciano's…
Cooney On Norton: “No Matter Who I Fought That Night, I Was Going To Win.” – September 16th, 2016
Norton clearly had the pedigree and Cooney the momentum as the up-and-coming contender on the rise. This match was set up as the ultimate crossroads battle…
Joe and Marvis Frazier: A Package Deal – August 9th, 2016
Marvis’ recollection of Ali-Frazier history contradicts actual events at least in part, as Joe publicly criticized Ali in the 1990’s…
The Man Who Fought Liston and Cassius Clay—Four Times! – July 28th, 2016
Billy Joiner, a journeyman heavyweight in the 1960s, has a few fascinating tales to tell. Let him tell you in his own words…
Ten-Count for Macka Foley – July 13th, 2016
“I should have died in Vietnam, I should have been killed by the mob, I should have been killed by Shavers. Something always pulled me out of danger…”
‘Gentlemen’ Gerry Cooney: “I'm A Lucky Man” – June 28th, 2016
"I wanted the fight against Weaver. It didn't work out. I would have liked to have had a couple more fights before Holmes..."
For the best? Impact of biggest changes in boxing over time – June 20th, 2016
The change from 15 rounds to 12 rounds has not harmed the sport. It has improved fighter safety which should always be a priority…
Larry Holmes vs. Mike Tyson—Who Would Win in their Primes? – June 13th, 2016
“Tyson was never a straight target. He was always weaving and ducking. Larry was a straight up fighter. He was easier to hit than Tyson…”
Cassius Clay and Muhammad Ali: From Anger to Peace – June 11th, 2016
Ali was laid to rest in his native Louisville, Kentucky. His pallbearers included Mike Tyson, Lennox Louis, George Foreman and Larry Holmes…
Larry Holmes vs. Gerry Cooney – June 10th, 2016
On June 11, 1982 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada, longtime WBC heavyweight champion Larry Holmes, from Easton, Pennsylvania by way of Cuthbert, Georgia, defended his title against "Gentleman" Gerry Cooney. Both fighters were undefeated at the time. Holmes was 36-0. Cooney was 25-0. And the fight,…
The magnificent Katherine Dunn – May 15th, 2016
I spoke to Ms. Dunn once on the phone many years ago and we exchanged emails after my review of her book came out…
Joe Frazier’s Gym – April 25th, 2016
Today there is finally talk of getting rid of the discount furniture store and turning the building back into Joe Frazier’s Gym…
Larry Holmes vs. Trevor Berbick – April 10th, 2016
On April 11, 1981 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada, WBC heavyweight champion Larry Holmes, from Easton, Pennsylvania by way of Cuthbert, Georgia, defended his title against Trevor Berbick, from Port Antonio, Jamaica. Holmes was undefeated at 36-0 coming in. Berbick was 18-1. The fight was scheduled…
Philadelphia’s Own Jimmy Binns – March 8th, 2016
“I met Stallone when I was boxing commissioner. I met him at Bookbinder’s. He was making a new movie and asked me to be in it…”
Joe Frazier: Truly Alive at 205 – February 24th, 2016
Frazier is the guy who plays havoc with the minds of traditionalists and revisionists alike whenever they shuffle their all-time rankings…
Holmes-Norton: "The Legend of Larry Holmes" – February 21st, 2016
"This was my chance. If I didn't take the fight, who knows what would have happened. I didn't want to miss my shot…"
Larry Holmes Reads the Tea Leaves – February 4th, 2016
In defiance of here today, gone tomorrow, Floyd “Money” Mayweather continues to spend as if it’s going out of style…
Larry Holmes: “One of the Greatest” – January 29th, 2016
"I dropped out of school in the seventh grade. Teachers told me if you don't quit we're going to throw you out…"
The Ring Names Fury Fighter of the Year – January 11th, 2016
Despite the time devoted to making the right year-end selections, the awards usually end up validating the consensus choice…
The Seductive Id of Boxing? – December 28th, 2015
Norman Mailer once called the rarest athlete in sports “The Big Toe of God.” Certainly a lofty honorific — sublime and sacred…
Exposed – December 1st, 2015
It wasn’t age. It wasn’t a bad night. It was Wladimir Klitschko being Wladimir Klitschko. That’s who he is. That’s who he’ll always be…
Candy Slim: The Curious Mystique of Jeff Merritt – November 29th, 2015
Merritt was one of those scary monsters of the game, one of that select group of fearsome and near mythical men who never stop intriguing us…
Klitschko / Fury: Skill and Power vs. Zig-Zags and The Almighty – November 23rd, 2015
Klitschko is a fine architect, calmly deconstructing faces, subtly carving through the resolve of the man opposite…
“If Tattoos Could Talk” – November 15th, 2015
Tattoos are, simply, trendy. Since the 1990s, more and more fighters have sought their identity, or toughness, in a tattoo, but it’s their vulnerability I see...
Larry Holmes vs. Alfredo Evangelista – November 9th, 2015
On November 10, 1978 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada, WBC heavyweight champion Larry Holmes, from Easton, Pennsylvania, defended his newly won title for the first time against Alfredo Evangelista, from Montevideo, Uruguay. Holmes won the title five months earlier over Ken Norton by disputed split…
Larry Holmes vs. Bonecrusher Smith – November 8th, 2015
On November 9, 1984 at the Riviera Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, IBF heavyweight champion Larry Holmes, from Easton, Pennsylvania by way of Cuthbert, Georgia, defended his title against James "Bonecrusher" Smith, from Magnolia, North Carolina. The Easton Assassin was undefeated at 42-0. Bonecrusher…
Shannon Briggs: The Pest – September 3rd, 2015
This Saturday at the Hard Rock in Hollywood, Florida, Shannon Briggs meets inactive and unheralded Michael Marrone…
PBC Triggers Boxing Nostalgia and Pathology – July 22nd, 2015
The new Premier Boxing Champions series is part of an effort by Al Haymon to bring mainstream prominence back to the sport of boxing…
Klitschko and Fury Trade Jabs in Düsseldorf – July 21st, 2015
“I’m a unique fighter, one of a kind. There’s never been someone like me before in history. A fighter like me only comes along every 1000 years...”
Rocky Road – June 3rd, 2015
I didn’t major in Rocky Studies at the New School for Social Research. I’ve never been able to sit through a Rocky movie...
Boxing and the Black/White Divide – May 24th, 2015
He’s crass. He’s materialistic. He’s megalomaniacal. None of which makes him bad, per se. None of which even makes him different…
The Thrilla in Vanilla – April 27th, 2015
If wishes were fishes, we’d all cast nets. One robin doesn't make a spring, or one defibrillator jolt a pulse…
Towering and Glowering – March 21st, 2015
Earnie Shavers might have been the best heavyweight who never won a title, but Roy Williams might well have been one of the best fighters nobody ever heard of…
Is it getting more difficult to defend your love of boxing? – March 11th, 2015
We fans of the sport can reengineer boxing as the sport of tastemakers: the sport of thinkers, history buffs and scribes, rather than the bloodthirsty…
Boxing: Is there something in the air? – February 23rd, 2015
The boxing schedule leading up to May 2 is like a symphonic crescendo that translates to a boxing fan’s dream come true…
Joe Dwyer: No Greater Legacy – February 10th, 2015
“Don’t lead with your chin and never drop your guard. Victory is found in the love and loyalty of family and true friends...”
Top 10 over 40 – January 22nd, 2015
I have compiled a list of ten of the craftiest veterans the sport of boxing has known, those who have found success at the age of forty and beyond…
Why the Sweet Science Remains Sour – December 17th, 2014
With few exceptions, the bulk of fighters are weak, insular men adept at controlling their destinies inside the ropes, but seldom outside them…
The George Foreman Addiction – December 6th, 2014
You’re growling on the living room floor. You don’t growl during football and basketball games. Why now? You’re not the only animal…
Don King: Only in America – December 4th, 2014
When HBO first broadcast Don King: Only in America in 1997, Don King was not pleased. A serio-comic dramatization of the life of the wild-haired promoter based on the book of the same name by thorn-in-the-side Jack Newfield, the film starred Ving Rhames as King, Vondie Curtis-Hall as Lloyd Price,…
Outside the Ring: Kevin Iole – December 4th, 2014
“When I was in ninth grade, I put on a form that I wanted to be a sports writer and a guidance counselor tried to talk me out of it…”
Jim Jeffries: How to Train, How to Hit – November 27th, 2014
You can almost feel a link to the era of Roman gladiators when you read Big Jeff’s comments on his training methods and technique…
Hamburg Heaven: Klitschko Pulverizes Pulev – November 15th, 2014
While Floyd Mayweather is the universally recognized pound-for-pound king, Klitschko has dominated his division like no other fighter in this era…
Showdown in Hamburg: Klitschko vs. Pulev – November 14th, 2014
Wladimir Klitschko may be too good for his own good, but considering the alternatives, that ain’t bad…
El Dorado: Stiverne vs. Wilder – October 25th, 2014
Don King may have options, but Bermane Stiverne’s options are limited. He gets just one defense of his heavyweight crown…
The 100 Greatest Heavyweights of All Time Part Ten: 10-1 – October 23rd, 2014
For boxing people, the great heavyweights, specifically the ones they patronize most of all, help define who they are as boxing people...
Larry Hazzard and the State of New Jersey – October 12th, 2014
The recently reinstated Boxing Commissioner of the State of New Jersey keeps on the sunny side. He’s as optimistic as optimism itself…
Larry “The Greatest” Holmes – October 6th, 2014
Boxing has a proud lineage that deserves respect and admiration. But history often elevates prowess. And history often blurs clear sight…
Sonny, George and the Indelible Ali Stain – October 3rd, 2014
What must it be like when everyone tells you you’re unbeatable? Sonny and George heard that praise so many times that they came to believe it…
Gene Tunney: The King of Cool – September 16th, 2014
Quite simply, Gene Tunney just didn't fit most people’s perception of a fighting man, and for the usual trite and unfair reasons…